Don Lemon marries long-time partner in fabulous Manhattan wedding

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and real estate broker Tim Malone were married in a ceremony in New York City on Saturday. The couple’s nuptials were held at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in midtown Manhattan.

Officiated by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, the ceremony wove together personal anecdotes and family, according toPeople.

“I wanted to get married in the church. So Tim made that happen," Lemon said.

Dressed in custom suits from Suit Supply and exchanging rings by designer Mark Lash, the couple honored their familial traditions and acknowledged the path laid by predecessors in the African American and Irish communities, People reports.

“We wanted to make a public statement,” Malone told the outlet, “and we wanted to involve our loved ones. We obviously could have easily gone to city hall. We could have used Covid as a perfect excuse to do something really quiet. But I think this is also a message. For I don't know what percent of our guests, on both sides, but for a lot of them it's going to be their first gay wedding.”

The wedding attracted a diverse and notable guest list. Attendees included influential figures such as Tamron Hall, Clive Davis, alongside personalities from The View like Joy Behar and Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, and disgraced former Today Show anchor Matt Lauer.

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People reports that the party continued at Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar, where they had their first date in 2016. The reception featured a New Orleans-style “second line” procession through Manhattan with the couple’s three dogs, a nod to Lemon’s Louisiana heritage and the couple’s collective joy.

“I never thought that I would get married,” Lemon said. “I mean, maybe Tim's generation, he's 18 years younger than me. So for him maybe it was more of a possibility.”

He added: “The legal part of it is a big deal because I didn't think it could happen. And for so many years of my growing up and hiding things, I never thought it could happen legally. But when you consider all the rights that people are trying to take away, I wanted to make sure that we get this done right.”